Entering the city gates from the train station!
A bright, sunny (warmish) Christmas tree outside the old city gate.
I had a simple itinerary here - Juliet's balcony, a peaceful lunch with a good glass of wine, window shopping, and the Roman arena!
Juliet's balcony was my first stop - to get there I walked through the main piazza and through much of downtown. While it is a magical place given its history, the balcony is NOTHING like it is represented in movies. Humph. Small, crowded (though not too much this day), covered in gum! Nevertheless I decided to write a letter (which I will post here) and while I did not leave it, it being written was good enough.
Teeny tiny balcony. I really hope Romeo didn't fall off! You can take a tour inside but I did not indulge.
Statue of Juliet. Complete with her boobs rubbed clean by those hoping for luck in love. To the left is a multi-layered gate full of locks - people locking in their love.
Approaching the balcony and courtyard they have painted two walls white for people to write messages on. They paint over the walls again when they are full. Today the walls had lots of free space.
My letter and the notebook it came from. The notebook is also appropriate - about a man going away and his lover tracing his profile on the wall to remember him by (the notebook was purchased in Belgium almost 7 years ago)! The "letter" is a series of quotes from the Persian poet Rumi who is said to be the first master of poetry and love. All translated from Farsi, of course.
Piazza delle Erbe. The original place of Verona's Roman forum! It has always served the city as its commercial center - the House of Merchants is here, too.
Beautiful day!
Stella di Natale and Arena from the piazza Bra
I met a lovely couple inside the Arena an we exchanged picture-taking roles! Later on in my Roman exploration I met an Indian couple living in Canada and they asked me to record a video of the arena describing what it was used for, when it was built etc. Kind of cool but I wish I'd read up on Roman Verona!
Piazza Bra from atop the Arena. So much junk food to choose from it was a wonder I sat down for an actual meal! I did eat here (off to the right with awnings), a complete (if slightly typical American) pizza with mozzarella and prosciutto and a large glass of red wine!
Mmmmm, street food.
the hills outside Verona at the beginning of sunset, seen from the Arena
Creative drawings in the sand...clearly the work of fierce gladiators. Good to know somethings around the world are always the same...doodles are never that different, are they?
Leaving Verona, all set for Christmas! It must be said that I had some fantastic gelato on my way back to the train station. I had green apple and chocolate (of course). The apple was tart, sweet, and contained bits of apple. Mmmm. Good way to end the day.
After seeing Juliet's balcony and enjoying the awkwardness of watching people rub her boobs, I trotted off in search of a place to eat. This ended up taking a long time since I stumbled onto Verona's Christmas markets and the main piazza on the way!
The Markets were held in small piazzas all off of the Erbe. The vin brulee was sweet and one even had a stand with oven-baked pizza! Though many of the wares were Italian food or made by Italians, there was so much German influence I almost forgot where I was.
The city of Verona rests (as most ancient cities do) on a river; here it is the River Adige. The city is split between it - old city on one side and the new, more residential across the river. I walked along the river on my way back to the Arena and the larger piazza and park, Bra.
Locks, ribbons an little messages are locked on the cables over the river, too!
Verona was established as a Roman city in the 1st century BCE. Today it still boasts an arena and amphitheater. Sadly I was unable to get to the theater but the arena, located in the large piazza Bra, is an impressive sight that has been married to the modern world via monument for the Christmas season. Named the stella di Natale, and described as a comet of Christmas, this monument is on display with the arena from November 30th - January 26 2014!
Original outer wall...so pretty in the sunlight!
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